Valedictorian Christian Cox conquers grades & autism

Tom KingFountain City

There is something very special about Christian Paul Cox. It is visible. Even audible. He has an insatiable drive to learn, a fascinating curiosity about life and people, always wondering why, why. His vocabulary belies his age – 18. And, he is autistic.

At Central High School’s 2023 graduation, Christian was the valedictorian for his 270 or so classmates and, like him, his address was special. His 4.56 grade point average earned him valedictory honors. He pulled a 31 on the ACT. He’s an introvert, thoughtful with his words and feelings, and does not enjoy discussing his autism.

Christian Cox

This young man had his struggles growing up. He was reared by a rock-strong single mother, Stacey, and a group of loving, talented and patient teachers who worked with him to shape today’s Christian. He was diagnosed by Janis Neece, Ph.D., at the age of 3 as having autism on the spectrum toward Asperger. “Dr. Neece seemed to believe that Christian was too social to be truly Asperger’s,” his mother says today.

Christian is not overwhelmed by being the school’s valedictorian, but admitted to being a little scared. “I’ve never had this kind of attention on me before this and it’s foreign to me to have a platform to speak about my ideas and thoughts,” he said. “I’ve revised my speech about five times.”

Christian and his mother have a very special relationship. She has been a single parent since Christian was in the second grade. Watching them interact is at times more about communicating with their smiles and eyes. They’re buddies. He also is extremely close to his younger sister, Lauren, 16, a rising junior at Central.

“The awesome thing is that he has such a kind heart and soul and truly has a servant’s heart. He enjoys his alone time, and he sometimes struggles with the thought that he is socially awkward, but in my eyes, he’s killing it at this thing called life,” Stacey said.

A favorite thing he loves, he says, “is taking long walks in the evening alone for contemplation.”

Christian began school at age 3 with a group of high-functioning students in a Knox County Schools’ pilot program at Karns Elementary School under teacher Becky Keeton, known as the “Austism Whisperer.” Keeton used tough love and honesty to help Christian fight through his sensory issues – outbursts in class, his crying protests, the many tantrums he would throw.

Keeton didn’t just work with Christian and the students. She educated parents.

“She taught me early on not to let Christian ever think that there isn’t anything he cannot do because of autism,” Stacey says. “I’ve never forgotten that and lived by it. Becky also taught me to push past my grief and not to give in.”

After his time in Keeton’s program, Sterchi Elementary School came next – Pre-K and kindergarten and first grade through the fifth.

“We could not have landed in a more loving and caring place than Sterchi. He had a few years of occupational therapy and speech services throughout his years at Sterchi and played Upward soccer,” Stacey says. During his last two years at Sterchi, classmates used humor in roasting one another, and Christian did not understand their humor and he didn’t pick up on social clues. But he survived. And thrived.

Christian Cox with his “most influential” teacher – Central High’s Gus “Fluffy” Ferreria, who teaches agricultural science

It’s safe to say he thrived at Central, too. He spent his ninth grade at the L&N STEM Academy and began at Central in the 10th grade. He was a member of the STEM Gryphon crew rowing team and continued that sport while attending Central. He helped build an aquaponics system, a greenhouse and was the project manager for constructing a mushroom inoculation chamber at Central.

Christian also designed and built the school’s first 3D-printed botanical statue.

His favorite Central High teacher is the man they call “Fluffy” – Gus Ferreria, the agriculture sciences teacher. “He is a real diamond in the rough. He taught me so much – like practical knowledge about so many things in fascinating fields,” Christian says.

“He’s been my most influential teacher. I never would have expected a science class to involve so much creativity. His teaching let me understand science by seeing how it works. He has inspired me to venture into the world to seek and learn to become a better version of myself.”

Chris plans to attend the University of Tennessee in the fall and then transfer to Georgia Tech to pursue an undergraduate degree, a master’s and a doctorate in theoretical physics. A goal is to conduct laboratory research on sub-atomic particles to show how the world is made. He thinks big!

He is a very high-functioning autistic young man. Christian drives his own car and is active in his church youth group at Beaver Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Powell. He calls his former youth leader, the Rev. Billy Price, one of the key people in his life.

“Christian has been and still is the hardest person on himself,” his mom said. “I have never really had to discipline him in regards to homework. He continues to struggle with any more than one-step commands due to his rigidity and what I consider his need to finish one task at a time. He is a beautiful soul who loves and thinks big and only wants peace among all.”

Here are some of the valedictorian’s closing remarks to his fellow graduates:

  • “…And so I say to you, seniors, open your hearts to the world. Past today, you’ll have boundless opportunities to take your first steps in the world outside of high school – no matter where they take you.”
  • “You will face adversity, you learn lessons, you try new things. You will find family. And that alone is worth everything.”
  • “… But that’s the thing about remembering the good friends and memories you made here: it’s a semblance of hope that you can always make more friends and memories. So, open your heart. Open your heart. Godspeed, y’all!”

You can click here to listen to his address.

Tom King has been the editor of newspapers in Texas and California and also worked in Tennessee and Georgia.

 

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